Even though Evgeny Kuznetsov is goalless in his last 12 games and scoreless in his last seven, he’s been dangerous lately every time he’s had the puck on his stick. On Wednesday night, the Capitals’ debonair dangler deked Oilers goaltender Viktor Fasth onto his rear and scored a most beautiful shootout goal.

(Someone had to do some paralyzing since Matt Hendricks didn’t get an attempt.)

As Kuzy snakes towards the net, he shuffles the puck back in forth. Right before he gets to the crease, Kuznetsov hesitates slightly. He dekes hard to his backhand before bringing it back to his forehand and sliding the puck past Fasth’s right leg.

I’d say “sliding the puck past Fasth’s outstretched right leg” but the only thing that’s happening here was Fasth falling on his keister.

Kuznetsov is now a career 5 for 11 in the shootout. It seems like every game he looks more and more confident. This bodes well for the second half.

This season, new bench boss Barry Trotz has utilized Ovechkin in the clean-up spot, having him shoot only if a shootout is tied after three rounds. On Saturday, to change the bad juju after two straight shootout losses, Trotz let assistant coach and always-dour-human-being Blaine Forsythe pick the third shooter.

Ovechkin uses the same move he always does, slowly skating the puck in from the right side and then curling to the left in the slot. Panthers goalie Al Montoya overcommits and tries to double stack his pads to take away the low part of the net. Ovi lifts the puck over his outstretched hand, off the yawing of the net, and in. Game over.

The Great Eight now has eight career game-deciding goals, which of course he does. Don’t look now, but through five games the Caps have not been defeated in regulation.

When the Washington Capitals drafted Jakub Vrana with the 13th overall pick, many wondered if the Caps were reaching. Vrana, the U18 World Championship’s best scorer, was called selfish by some scouts. Others said his play away from the puck could use some work.

After tonight, we know one thing for sure: the Czech has a sick pair of hands.

During Development Camp’s first scrimmage of the week, the Czech winger scored an impressive shootout goal.

Vrana fakes like he’s going to do a spin, cradles the puck on his backhand, avoids the goalie’s poke check, and scores forehand on a shot right off the top of the crossbar.

Let’s slow this down a bit.

Yep, still pretty.

How about one more angle, just for kicks?

Of course, the goalie did himself no favors. He goes hard for the first move, doesn’t extend his stick out far on the poke check, and is really, really deep in the net. But still, way to go, Vrana.